Main entrance of the Bhawanipore Football Club tent in Kolkata Maidan, West Bengal.
Bhawanipore Football Club was founded in 1910 by Nani Mitra in
Bhowanipore,
Kolkata.[12] After the independence of India,
Robi Das became the first ever footballer from Bhawanipore who represented
India in
men's tournament at the
1948 Summer Olympics in London.[13] The club in 1948, reached the final of
IFA Shield and finished as runner-up after a 2–1 defeat to
Mohun Bagan.[14][15][16] In January 2012, they were officially certified by the
All India Football Federation to participate in the
I-League 2nd Division, the second tier of football in India.[10][17] After playing 6 games during the season Bhawanipore ended in 6th place out of 7 in Group C and thus failed to move to the Final half. They have also participated in domestic tournaments such as
IFA Shield,[18] and
Durand Cup. In the 1960s, Bhawanipore have gone through rivalries with two of India's most successful clubs
Mohun Bagan and
East Bengal in CFL.[19] Notable Bengali footballers Asim Moulick and Parimal Dey appeared with the club in 1971.[20]
In the
2019–20 I-League 2nd Division, Bhawanipore participated and made it to the final round of
I-League qualifiers.[31]Sankarlal Chakraborty was appointed as head coach and they signed who foreign players; Liberian
Ansumana Kromah and Ghanaian
Philip Adjah.[32][33] Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in India, usual final round format was scrapped off. It was decided that the final round of the league will be rescheduled into a new format and all the non-reserve teams from the preliminary stage will automatically progress to this round. It was officially named as I-League Qualifiers.[34] The teams from the preliminary round were scheduled to play in a
round-robin format in two venues, at the
Salt Lake Stadium in
Kolkata and
Kalyani Stadium in
Kalyani, near Kolkata to advance to the
2020–21 I-League.[35][36][37][38] Bhawanipore finished on the second position of the league table at the end of I-League qualifiers, with 9 points in 4 matches.[39][40] In
2022 Calcutta Premier Division, Bhawanipore as group champion, qualified to "super six" round and finished as runner-up, behind Mohammedan Sporting.[41][42] In June 2023, the Indian Football Association made an announcement that the merger of both Premier Division A and B of the
Calcutta Football League have done ahead of its 125th edition, in which Bhawanipore was allowed to compete in Group II.[43][44][45][46] The club later qualified for CFL "Super Six" round.[47] They gained
I-League 3 spot in August 2023, to compete in the
inaugural edition.[48][49][50]
Management and sponsorship
In 2012, Sangbad Pratidin became a premium sponsor of the club and they were also affiliated with
Mohun Bagan AC.[51] Sangbad Pratidin Bhawanipore Football Club Private Limited was incorporated on 22 December 2011. Its last annual general meet (AGM) happened on 29 September 2017.[51] Its current board members and directors are Ashok Kumar Tiwari and Arun Sengupta. The club tent is located in Kolkata Maidan, 700069.[52]
The foreign players below had senior/youth international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing for Bhawanipore FC.
Bhawanipore FC operates several youth teams (U-13, U-15 and U-18) and academy.[100] Under-19 team of the club previously took part in
Youth I-League, competed in "Kolkata zone" in 2014.[12][101] In April 2024, the club entered into a partnership with
La Liga Academy for grassroots development in youth football.[102][103][104] In July, club's academy team named Bhawanipore Pro India Academy, took part in LaLiga U-14 Youth Football Tournament held at the
University of Putra,
Malaysia, and became undefeated champions.[105]
Men's cricket
Bhawanipore FC's men's
cricket (named 'Bhawanipore Club') section is under the jurisdiction of the
Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB),[106][107] and competes in First Division League, J. C. Mukherjee T-20 Trophy and other regional tournaments.[108][109][110] Club's cricket section is currently headquartered in 1, Nepal Bhattacharjee Street, Kolkata.[111] Noted Indian international cricketers
Rishi Dhawan,
Jitesh Sharma, and other players like
Chirag Jani have appeared with Bhawanipore in P. Sen Trophy.[112][113][114] In 2023 edition of P. Sen Memorial Trophy, the club reached final, lost to
Mohun Bagan at the end.[115] Bhawanipore also participates in CAB T-20 Trophy.[116]
In 2023–24 season, the club won treble, by winning CAB First Division Championship, J. C. Mukherjee T-20 Championship and the CAB One-day meet.[117]
Tennis
Lawn tennis is a sport practiced at the Bhawanipore Club, and it is an affiliated member club of the Bengal Tennis Association (BTA).[118]
Affiliated clubs
The following club is affiliated (reciprocal) with Bhawanipore FC:
^Chakraborty, Ratan (11 August 2019).
"পাঁচ গোল করে ময়দানে নতুন ইতিহাস কোসির" [Kouassi became hero in Kolkata football after scoring five goals in a single match]. anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Anandabazar Patrika. Archived from
the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
^Chaudhuri, Arunava; Hai Naveed, Malik Riaz (25 May 2003).
"India — List of Topscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from
the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
"আই লিগের দ্বিতীয় ডিভিশনে ভবানীপুরের দূর্গ সামলাবেন শিল্টন" [Shilton will handle Bhawanipur's fortress in the second division of I-League]. bangla.hindustantimes.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Hindustan Times Bengali. 19 September 2020. Archived from
the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
"Royal flush for Wahingdoh". theshillongtimes.com. Shillong: The Shillong Times. 12 April 2014. Archived from
the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
Main entrance of the Bhawanipore Football Club tent in Kolkata Maidan, West Bengal.
Bhawanipore Football Club was founded in 1910 by Nani Mitra in
Bhowanipore,
Kolkata.[12] After the independence of India,
Robi Das became the first ever footballer from Bhawanipore who represented
India in
men's tournament at the
1948 Summer Olympics in London.[13] The club in 1948, reached the final of
IFA Shield and finished as runner-up after a 2–1 defeat to
Mohun Bagan.[14][15][16] In January 2012, they were officially certified by the
All India Football Federation to participate in the
I-League 2nd Division, the second tier of football in India.[10][17] After playing 6 games during the season Bhawanipore ended in 6th place out of 7 in Group C and thus failed to move to the Final half. They have also participated in domestic tournaments such as
IFA Shield,[18] and
Durand Cup. In the 1960s, Bhawanipore have gone through rivalries with two of India's most successful clubs
Mohun Bagan and
East Bengal in CFL.[19] Notable Bengali footballers Asim Moulick and Parimal Dey appeared with the club in 1971.[20]
In the
2019–20 I-League 2nd Division, Bhawanipore participated and made it to the final round of
I-League qualifiers.[31]Sankarlal Chakraborty was appointed as head coach and they signed who foreign players; Liberian
Ansumana Kromah and Ghanaian
Philip Adjah.[32][33] Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in India, usual final round format was scrapped off. It was decided that the final round of the league will be rescheduled into a new format and all the non-reserve teams from the preliminary stage will automatically progress to this round. It was officially named as I-League Qualifiers.[34] The teams from the preliminary round were scheduled to play in a
round-robin format in two venues, at the
Salt Lake Stadium in
Kolkata and
Kalyani Stadium in
Kalyani, near Kolkata to advance to the
2020–21 I-League.[35][36][37][38] Bhawanipore finished on the second position of the league table at the end of I-League qualifiers, with 9 points in 4 matches.[39][40] In
2022 Calcutta Premier Division, Bhawanipore as group champion, qualified to "super six" round and finished as runner-up, behind Mohammedan Sporting.[41][42] In June 2023, the Indian Football Association made an announcement that the merger of both Premier Division A and B of the
Calcutta Football League have done ahead of its 125th edition, in which Bhawanipore was allowed to compete in Group II.[43][44][45][46] The club later qualified for CFL "Super Six" round.[47] They gained
I-League 3 spot in August 2023, to compete in the
inaugural edition.[48][49][50]
Management and sponsorship
In 2012, Sangbad Pratidin became a premium sponsor of the club and they were also affiliated with
Mohun Bagan AC.[51] Sangbad Pratidin Bhawanipore Football Club Private Limited was incorporated on 22 December 2011. Its last annual general meet (AGM) happened on 29 September 2017.[51] Its current board members and directors are Ashok Kumar Tiwari and Arun Sengupta. The club tent is located in Kolkata Maidan, 700069.[52]
The foreign players below had senior/youth international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing for Bhawanipore FC.
Bhawanipore FC operates several youth teams (U-13, U-15 and U-18) and academy.[100] Under-19 team of the club previously took part in
Youth I-League, competed in "Kolkata zone" in 2014.[12][101] In April 2024, the club entered into a partnership with
La Liga Academy for grassroots development in youth football.[102][103][104] In July, club's academy team named Bhawanipore Pro India Academy, took part in LaLiga U-14 Youth Football Tournament held at the
University of Putra,
Malaysia, and became undefeated champions.[105]
Men's cricket
Bhawanipore FC's men's
cricket (named 'Bhawanipore Club') section is under the jurisdiction of the
Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB),[106][107] and competes in First Division League, J. C. Mukherjee T-20 Trophy and other regional tournaments.[108][109][110] Club's cricket section is currently headquartered in 1, Nepal Bhattacharjee Street, Kolkata.[111] Noted Indian international cricketers
Rishi Dhawan,
Jitesh Sharma, and other players like
Chirag Jani have appeared with Bhawanipore in P. Sen Trophy.[112][113][114] In 2023 edition of P. Sen Memorial Trophy, the club reached final, lost to
Mohun Bagan at the end.[115] Bhawanipore also participates in CAB T-20 Trophy.[116]
In 2023–24 season, the club won treble, by winning CAB First Division Championship, J. C. Mukherjee T-20 Championship and the CAB One-day meet.[117]
Tennis
Lawn tennis is a sport practiced at the Bhawanipore Club, and it is an affiliated member club of the Bengal Tennis Association (BTA).[118]
Affiliated clubs
The following club is affiliated (reciprocal) with Bhawanipore FC:
^Chakraborty, Ratan (11 August 2019).
"পাঁচ গোল করে ময়দানে নতুন ইতিহাস কোসির" [Kouassi became hero in Kolkata football after scoring five goals in a single match]. anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Anandabazar Patrika. Archived from
the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
^Chaudhuri, Arunava; Hai Naveed, Malik Riaz (25 May 2003).
"India — List of Topscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from
the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
"আই লিগের দ্বিতীয় ডিভিশনে ভবানীপুরের দূর্গ সামলাবেন শিল্টন" [Shilton will handle Bhawanipur's fortress in the second division of I-League]. bangla.hindustantimes.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Hindustan Times Bengali. 19 September 2020. Archived from
the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
"Royal flush for Wahingdoh". theshillongtimes.com. Shillong: The Shillong Times. 12 April 2014. Archived from
the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2014.